LAUNCH Nordic 2016 – Closing the Loop

Everybody is talking about the potentials in the Circular Economy. But how do we create closed loop systems and material streams? How do we design and manufacture for disassembly and recycling? And how do we shift to new business models that support durable products and re-use?

On April 7, 2016, LAUNCH Nordic Partners: IKEA Group, Novozymes, Kvadrat, The Danish Environmental Protection Agency, The Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Region Skåne teamed up with representatives from the City of Copenhagen, the Capital Region of Denmark, Innovation Skåne, Dansk Retursystem and key representatives from the world of materials to kick of the LAUNCH Nordic Cycle on Closing the Loop.

The purpose of the Big Think was to bring some of the different players it takes to close material loops into one room to discuss models for making it happen.

To open the discussion the following people gave short presentations:

Håkan Nordkvist, Head of Sustainability Innovation at the Ikea Group

Claus Stig Pedersen, Head of Corporate Sustainability at Novozymes

Mikkel Stenbæk Hansen, Deputy Head of Division at the Danish EPA

Lars Krejberg Petersen, CEO of Dansk Retursystem A/S

After sharing different perspectives on Closing the Loop the participants mapped out innovation opportunity areas and closed in on themes for the LAUNCH Nordic Innovation Challenge 2016.

Over the coming month the LAUNCH Nordic partners will analyze the outcome of the event and finalize the Innovation Challenge, which will be announced in Q2 of 2016.

Within the next few months we will host a launch event for this years Innovation Challenge and start the 2016 call for innovators from around the world.